# Interval training suppresses nod-like receptor protein 3 inflammasome activation to improve cardiac function in myocardial infarction rats by hindering the activation of the transforming growth factor-β1 pathway

## TL;DR

Interval training improves heart function in rats with heart attacks by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress through a specific biological pathway.

## Contribution

This study reveals that interval training suppresses NLRP3 inflammasome activation via the TGF-β1 pathway to improve cardiac function in MI rats.

## Key findings

- Interval training improved cardiac function and reduced oxidative stress in MI rats.
- Inhibiting the TGF-β1 pathway suppressed NLRP3 inflammasome activation and improved heart function.
- Activating NLRP3 partially reversed the benefits of interval training on cardiac function.

## Abstract

Myocardial infarction (MI) -induced cardiac dysfunction can be attenuated by aerobic exercises. This study explored the mechanism of interval training (IT) regulating cardiac function in MI rats, providing some theoretical basis for clarifying MI pathogenesis and new ideas for clinically treating MI.

Rats were subjected to MI modeling, IT intervention, and treatments of the Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) pathway or the nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) activators. Cardiac function and hemodynamic indicator alterations were observed. Myocardial pathological damage and fibrosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities, MDA content, inflammasome-associated protein levels, and inflammatory factor levels were assessed. The binding between TGF-β1 and receptor was detected.

MI rats exhibited decreased left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricle fractional shortening  (LVFS), left ventricular systolic pressure  (LVSP), positive and negative derivates max/min (dP/dt max/min) and increased left ventricular end-systolic pressure (LVEDP), a large number of scar areas in myocardium, disordered cell arrangement and extensive fibrotic lesions, increased TGF-β1 and receptor binding, elevated ROS level and MDA content and weakened SOD, CAT and GSH-Px activities, and up-regulated NLRP3, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD  (ASC) and cleaved-caspase-1 levels, while IT intervention caused ameliorated cardiac function. IT inactivated the TGF-β1 pathway to decrease oxidative stress in myocardial tissues of MI rats and inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Activating NLRP3 partially reversed IT-mediated improvement on cardiac function in MI rats.

IT diminished oxidative stress in myocardial tissues and suppressed NLRP3 inflammasome activation via inactivating the TGF-β1 pathway, thus improving the cardiac function of MI rats.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13019-024-02756-1.